Oleksandr Zinchenko Could Snub Arsenal Move In Sensational U-Turn

While it seemed like Oleksandr Zinchenko’s transfer to Arsenal was all but confirmed, he is reportedly in two minds about his future this summer.

On Monday, Arsenal had reportedly reached an agreement with Manchester City to complete the signing of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

It was claimed that the Gunners were set to fork out an initial £30 million plus £2 million in achievable add-ons, with a four-year deal in place.

Breaking: Arsenal and #ManCity have reached an agreement on a £30M fee for Oleksandr Zinchenko, plus £2M in achievable add-ons.

[via @David_Ornstein]

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) July 18, 2022

While the likes of Barcelona, West Ham, Everton and Leicester were previously linked with his signature, the Ukrainian has seemingly decided to join Gabriel Jesus by opting for a switch to North London.

The four-time Premier League champion has been speculated with bidding farewell to the Sky Blues on numerous occasions,

and Pep Guardiola’s side were reportedly open to letting the 25-year old depart the Etihad Stadium back in May this year.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Marc Cucurella was touted to be the versatile defender’s successor, a move that has seemingly stalled in recent weeks.

However, Zinchenko has continually decided to opt against an exit each and every time and instead, fight for his place at City.

To the former FC Ufa man’s credit, he has reclaimed his place back in the starting XI against the odds.

For instance, the Ukrainian international made an impression off the bench after replacing Joao Cancelo in the 2020/21 Champions League semi-final first-leg against PSG.

Zinchenko earned a start in the second leg, in which he arguably put on his best-ever performance in a City shirt and went on to partake from the get go in the club’s first-ever Champions League final.

While it seemed as if the midfielder had finally decided to move on to pastures new, a new report suggests a twist might still be in the tale.

As per a report by Martin Blackburn of the Sun, Oleksandr Zinchenko is still deciding whether he should head to Arsenal or continue to fight for his place at Manchester City.

While personal terms are understood to be in place for the switch to come to fruit, the player is yet to confirm his stance.

Further details suggest that all the power lies in the 2019 Ukrainian Footballer of the Year Award winner’s hands as City are not keen on selling one of their most pivotal squad members.

Interestingly, it has also been mentioned that the club would be willing to shelve their plans to sign a brand-new left-back if Zinchenko decides to stay put in East Manchester.

Oleksandr Zinchenko is weighing up whether to move to Arsenal, or stay at #ManCity to fight for his place. @ManCity are in no rush to sell and would be willing to shelve plans to sign a new left-back if he decides to stay.

[via @SunMartinB]

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) July 19, 2022

While the likes of Marc Cucurella and Borna Sosa have made the headlines as Manchester City’s potential replacements for the potentially outgoing Oleksandr Zinchenko, the plot could thicken if he decided to reject Arsenal’s advances at the last minute.